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Corsica August 2012 ,
Introduction
Our family went to Corsica this summer for several reasons. First of all we wanted to have a relaxing holiday with a nice beach and good weather and Corsica has all this on offer. Secondly our children wanted to visit France (my daughter to practice her French) and last but not least Corsica has some interesting endemic birds. Although I have been to Corsica before and saw most endemics like Corsican Nuthatch and Corsican Finch, I still missed the endemic race of Treecreeper (corsa) that can be evaluated to a full species in the future (like has happened with Corsican Finch). There was also a possibility to see California Quail, an established introduced species, that can be interesting for some rankings.
We decided to stay near Ghisonaccia because of the nice beaches and the central location (in the middle of the island), close to the mountains, the Bastia airport and the main attractions like Bonfacio and Corte. The weather didn't disappoint and it was sometimes even too hot (35+) to do anything else but swimming. The food in general and the often mentioned tranquillity of the island was however quite disappointing and we ended up in traffic jams along the coastal road N198 more than ones. Corsica is also an expensive island, let alone the costs of getting there by ferry or plane. We hired a car for the full two weeks of our stay and used it every day, but it took us some time to get used to this French car full of electronic gadgets like an electronic key, -doors, -fuel tank cover, -handbrake, etc.
In order to see corsa Treecreeper I visted several sites in the mountains. For California Quail I visited several sites north of Ghisonaccia. I usually got up at 6 a.m. and went out birding for a few hours, picking up fresh bread before returning to our accommodation around 10 a.m. when the rest of the family was just awake. The rest of the day was mostly spent on the beach.
While birding I saw all the endemic (sub)species. The endemic bird taxa for Corsica are:
Corsican Nuthatch Sitta whiteheadi
Crossbill Loxia (curvirostra) corsicana
Treecreeper Certhia (familiaris) corsa
Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopus major parroti
Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs tyrrhenica
Jay Garrulus glandarius corsicanus
There are also a number of near-endemic (sub)species on Corsica who share their distribution with nearby islands in the Mediterranean. These near-endemic bird taxa are:
Goshawk Accipiter gentilis arrigonii (Sardinia)
Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus wolterstorffi (Sardinia)
Buzzard Buteo buteo arrigonii (Sardinia)
Barn Owl Tyto alba ernesti (Sardinia)
Wren Troglodytes troglodytes koenigi (Sardinia)
Marmora’s Warbler Sylvia sarda (Sardinia and some small Italian Islands)
Moltoni’s Warbler Sylvia subalpina (Sardinia and Balearics)
Spotted Flycatcher Muscipapa (striata) tyrrhenica (Sardinia)
Woodchat Shrike Lanius (senator) badius (Sardinia, Balearics and some small Italian Islands)
Coal Tit Parus ater sardus (Sardinia)
Corsican Finch Serinus corsicana (Sardinia, Elba)
Greenfinch Carduelis chloris madaraszi (Sardinia)
Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis tschusii (Sardinia, Elba and Sicily)
Of all these I never saw arrigonii Goshawk and ernesti Barn Owl, but all the others were seen on this or earlier trips to Corsica. Marmora’s Warbler was easy in spring 1991 near Corte.
Sites visited
Below is some information about the sites I visited during my stay on Corsica.
Ghisonaccia
We hired a mobile home at a holiday park called ‘Perla di Mare’, just east of Ghisonaccia and next to the beach. This park is divided in two parts and we were based at the quiet western park of the park. We heard Nightjars and Scops Owls almost every evening and had some of the commoner birds like Spotted Flycatchers, Blue Tits and Great Spotted Woodpecker in our garden.
Étang del Sale
This lake is one of the three sites for California Quail and I tried to find it here on a morning and an afternoon without any success. This lake can be reached by a small track opposite the archaeological site near Aleria. I only saw some of the commoner birds.
Lac d'Urbino
This lake is situated north-east of Ghisonaccia and can be reached by turning on an access road from the N198. I only visited this lake ones, walking from our accommodation along sandy tracks parallel to the shore, eventually reaching this lake. During this walk I notices a few Moltoni’s Warblers. At the lake there were a few Great Crested Grebes but not much else, although during our stay also a Pygmy Cormorant was present (a rarity in France).
Aghione
In this general area there are two more sites for California Quail (contact me if you want more details), which I both tried. Just as I was to give up I heard a California Quail call spontaneous several times just north of Aghione in an area with a lot of vineyards. Although I could locate the place where the bird was calling quite exactly, I never saw it. The area around Aghione was also good for other birds like Great Spotted Woodpecker, Wren, Robin, Long-tailed Tit, Sardinian- and Moltoni’s Warblers, Red-backed Shrike, badius Woodchat Shrike, Gold- and Greenfinch and Jay. I also heard and saw a group of Corsican Finches here perched on a wire, proving that Corsican Finch also occurs at sea level.
Col de Sorba
This Col is a good place to see Corsican Nuthatch. Near the highest point (where there is a sign saying 'Col de Sorba 1311 m') is space to park a car and a pair of Corsican Nuthatch was found here almost immediately. Other common birds were Coal Tit, Chaffinch, Treecreeper (only heard) and Goldcrest.
The road D69 has improved a lot but the road D344 from Ghissonaccia to Ghisoni is horrible to drive and I wouldn't advise you to use this road. When coming from the east it is better to use the D343 to Vezzani and Vivario and then approach the Col de Sorba from the west, using the D69. The driving here is much more relaxed with light traffic and goes through nice habitat, like the Col d'Erbajo (see below).
Gorge de la Restonica
The entrance to this gorge is well indicated in Corte. Although a popular tourist attraction, the road gets a lot narrower if you drive deeper into this valley and there is no space anywhere to park a car. Very hairy to drive and if you make it to the end, you have to pay to park your car.
I went there at first light and left before the first traffic arrived, but yet the left mirror of the car was hit by an oncoming car.
Col d'Erbajo
Situated along the D343 between Vivario (Muracciole) and Vezzani. There is an area of mature pines here with a sign saying 'Col d'Erbajo Altitude 920m' and a picnic area a little before where you can park the car and have a walk. The area is good for Corsican Nuthatch (only heard) and other forest birds like Goldcrest, Coal Tit, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Raven, Buzzard, etc.
Bonifacio
A 'must see' for anyone visiting Corsica but it is best to be here early before most tourists arrive. We took a boat trip along the coast in order to fully appreciate the spectacular cliffs. Bird wise I only saw Pallid Swift, Italian Sparrow and Shag but on an earlier trip in May 1991 Blue Rock Thrush was seen on the castle walls in the village and Scopoli's- and Yelkouan Shearwater from the shore. The whole coast, just east of the village, is good for Sylvia warblers, Tawny Pipit and badius Woodchat Shrike but was not visited this time.
Col de Bavella
This Col lies on the D-268, between Solenzara and Zonza. The road from Solenzara to Col de Bavella is good and at the Col itself is plenty of opportunity to park a car. There are several marked walking tracks that start in the small village. This village also had a few small wells that attracted a lot of birds. This is the only place on the island where I saw numerous corsicana Crossbills (100+) and also Corsican Finch was very common. I took one of the tracks into the forest and after 20 minutes of searching I finally not only heard but also saw a corsa Treecreeper. A nice birthday present! Other birds recorded here were Robin, Blackcap, Goldcrest, Spotted Flycatcher, Coal Tit, Jay and Chaffinch. To me this seems one of the best and easiest places on the island to see the endemics including Corsican Nuthatch which has been seen here by other birders. The scenery is also stunning, so you can take your family here for a nice day in the mountains and see some good birds as well.
Birds seen
Great Crested Grebe |
cristatus |
only seen Lac d’Urbino |
Shag |
desmarestii |
only seen coast Bonifatio |
Red Kite |
monotypic |
quite common |
Buzzard |
arrigonii |
only one bird Col de Sorba |
Kestrel |
tinnunculus |
|
Hobby |
subbuteo |
two hunting in the evening near Ghisonaccia |
Quail |
coturnix |
heard near campsite Ghisonaccia |
California Quail |
one heard vineyards near Algheri on 11-08 |
|
Yellow-legged Gull |
michahellis |
|
Rock Dove |
livia |
only domesticated birds? |
Woodpigeon |
palumbus |
|
Collared Dove |
decaocto |
|
Turtle Dove |
turtur |
|
Scops Owl |
scops |
at least two were calling every evening near our accommodation near Ghisonaccia |
Nightjar |
meridionalis |
we heard the frog like call and purring of several Nightjars every evening near our accommodation |
Common Swift |
apus |
|
Pallid Swift |
brehmorum |
several on seacliffs near Bonifatio |
Kingfisher |
atthis |
one River Tavignano |
Bee-eater |
monotypic |
several heard Tavignano |
Hoopoe |
epops |
several seen |
Great Spotted Woodpecker |
parroti |
quite common forests |
Crag Martin |
monotypic |
river Tavignano |
Swallow |
rustica |
|
House Martin |
meridionalis |
quite common in villages |
Grey Wagtail |
cinerea |
river Tavignano, Gorge de la Restonica |
Wren |
koenigi |
1 seen near Algheri |
Robin |
witherbyi // rubecula |
quite common |
Blackbird |
merula |
|
Fan-tailed Warbler |
juncidis |
several near Ghisonaccia |
Moltoni’s Warbler |
monotypic |
several seen and heard near Algheri, also at Lac d’Urbino |
Sardinian Warbler |
melanocephala |
several seen and heard |
Blackcap |
paulucci |
quite common |
Goldcrest |
regulus |
common in forests |
Firecrest |
ignicapillus |
several near Algheri |
Spotted Flycatcher |
tyrrhenica |
very common |
Long-tailed Tit |
irbii |
quite common and seen at different sports |
Coal Tit |
sardus |
very common forests |
Blue Tit |
ogliastrae |
quite common |
Great Tit |
corsus |
quite common |
Corsican Nuthatch |
monotypic |
two at Col de Sorba |
Treecreeper |
corsa |
after hearing birds at Col de Sorba, Col d’Erbajo and Gorge de la Restonica 1 bird was finally seen at Col de Bavella on 17-08 |
Red-backed Shrike |
monotypic |
only seen Aghione |
Woodchat Shrike |
badius |
1 juvenile near Aghione |
Jay |
corsicanus |
common |
Hooded Crow |
cornix |
quite common |
Raven |
hispanus // corax |
several seen in mountain areas |
Spotless Starling |
monotypic |
quite common |
Italian Sparrow |
monotypic |
quite common, the only sparrow seen |
Chaffinch |
tyrrhenica |
quite common |
Corsican Finch |
monotypic |
5 birds Aghione, several near River Tavignano and very common Col de Bavella |
Greenfinch |
madaraszi |
quite common |
Goldfinch |
tschusii |
quite common |
Linnet |
mediterranea |
quite common |
Crossbill |
corsicana |
only seen Col de Bavella where very common |
Cirl Bunting |
monotypic |
quite common |
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